1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to bath installations including a so-called "whirlpool" bath tub. Such bath tubs are in common use for therapeutic purposes and have at least one nozzle through which the bath water is recirculated by a pump and which emits a pressurized jet of water, in which air bubbles are entrained, into the bathing space. The invention is concerned with such installations and also with bath tubs for use therein.
2. Description of Prior Art
A whirlpool bath tub normally has a plurality of nozzles, commonly three or more, connected in parallel to the pressure outlet of the circulating pump, each nozzle being associated with an air pipe leading to atmosphere and the nozzle constructed so that the air is entrained by means of an injector or venturi action.
In order to prevent cross infection, the whirlpool tubs used in hospitals require that the water circulation path, comprising the nozzles, circulating pumps and associated pipework, should be disinfected between patients. At present this is accomplished by filling the bath with clean water and adding thereto an appropriate disinfectant concentrate to provide a disinfectant solution of adequate strength which is then circulated for an appropriate period. This is an expensive procedure, not only because it requires a considerable quantity of an expensive disinfectant such as iodoform but also in terms of the nursing personnel time involved in filling and refilling the bath which is additional to the recirculation time. Furthermore, the present procedure does not disinfect the air supply system which may on occasion become contaminated, at least in the vicinity of the nozzles, and thus become a source of infection.